Activists clash with police

Press, 28 November 1984, Page 10

Activists clash with police

NZPA-AP Montevideo While Uruguay’s Presi-dent-elect, Dr Julio Sanguinetti, and his Colorado Party celebrated their election victory the police clashed with hundreds of members of the rival National Party at a rally in Montevideo yesteday. The Centrist Colorado Party won a decisive victory in Monday’s balloting to replace the Right-wing military regime that has ruled Uruguay without elections since 1973. There were scattered confrontations between bands of youths yesterday as exhausted celebrants staggered home after huge street parties, but the most serious battle occurred in the afternoon outside the Palace of Justice. About 500 National Party activists had gathered in front of the building to demand the release of their imprisoned leader, Wilson Ferreira. They chanted, “Wilson! Wilson!”; jeered the police and cheered their defeated Presidential candidate, Alberto Zumaran, when he appeared briefly without making a public statement. After he left, helmeted policemen wielding clubs waded into the crowd. Mr Ferreira was arrested on June 16 when he returned from 11 years of self-exile in Europe and was accused of insulting the Armed Forces while abroad. When the military refused to free him so that he could enter the Presidential campaign, the Centre-Left Nationals picked Mr Zumaran as their candidate. Dr Sanguinetti now has the twin tasks of healing Uruguay’s economy, hit by slack markets for its traditional beef and wool exports, and of preventing a military come-back. Anticipating that the elections : : would produce no clear parliamentary majority for any of the main groups, representatives of all parties pledged fast week to govern by consultation with each other after the hand-over of power to the civilian administration on March 1.